


The Price of Trickery

by phantomthief_fee



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Basically Akechi gets saved, I thought he deserved redemption
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-25
Updated: 2017-10-25
Packaged: 2019-01-22 19:41:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12489372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantomthief_fee/pseuds/phantomthief_fee
Summary: Akira doesn't like Akechi Goro, but he'll be damned if he's going to let Akechi just throw his life away.





	The Price of Trickery

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Behind the Mask](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/332128) by SharkbaitSekki. 



Goro Akechi had been soundly beaten, and now he lay on the cold metal floor of the ship, panting. 

“You ready to call it quits?” Ryuji asked. 

“I know...I’ve had enough.” Akechi said through gasping breaths. He looked up at Akira, holding the other boy’s gaze. “You’re so lucky....Lucky to be surrounded....By teammates who acknowledge you...And once Shido confesses his crimes, you’ll all be heroes.” His voice began to shake. “As for me, people will find out my past deductions were just charade. My fame and trust will vanish.”

“I see...” Morgana hummed. “So you were turning people psychotic, then solving the cases yourself. And you did that by joining forces with Shido.”

“In the end....I couldn’t be special...” Akechi laughed before erupting into a fit of coughs. 

“Dude, you’re more than special.” Ryuji said. 

“It pains me to admit...but your wit and strength far exceeds ours.” Makoto said, her shoulders slumping a little bit. “We only defeated you by teaming up. I was honestly....envious of your natural ability. It was frustrating to see how much my sister trusted you.”

“I have no intention of forgiving you for what you did to my father, but...I sympathize with you.” Haru said. “I wholeheartedly understand wanting to get back at the adults who took from you.”

“But when you gained the power to fulfill that desire, you only used it for your own self-benefit.” Yusuke shook his head. It was the same expression of disgust Akechi had seen many a time on the faces of those around him, and on his mother. 

“If you have the ability to use multiple personas, you probably have the same talents as Joker.” Futaba said. “But because you went through life alone, the power you awakened was fueled by lies and hate. Still, you thought that was enough, right? That part, I totally get.”

“You excelled at everything over us, yet that was the one thing you lacked.” Yusuke said. Akechi wasn’t entirely sure what to make of this. They knew who he was now, what he was, and yet they still offered him genuine praise and understanding. Part of him thought the group foolish for showing him kindness, but the scared little boy clung to the line they were throwing him as though he were drowning. 

“Alright, let’s go back and get that callin’ card ready!” Ryuji said, already moving on. “We’re gonna take Shido down! What’re you gonna do?” 

“It’d be a problem if you kept getting in our way.” Ann said. “Wanna come along and help us settle things?”

“Are you all idiots?” Akechi asked. “You should get rid of me...If you don’t want me getting in your way.” The group just stared at him, obviously not even considering that possibility. They really were something, weren’t they?

“Come with us.” Akira stepped forward, offering a hand to the fallen detective. “That way, you can start repenting for what you’ve done. We’re not leaving you behind. You should know that.” Akechi stared at the hand offered to him. He had enjoyed his time with the Phantom Thieves, despite all the while knowing he’d betray them. He’d finally had teammates, people to trust. He so badly wanted some semblance of that back, even knowing they’d never trust him again. His own hand stretched out, shaking as it grasped Akira’s. The leader of the Phantom Thieves pulled him to his feet. 

“You’re one of us.” Akira said. 

“One of you.” Akechi echoed. Then a shot rang out and Akechi dropped to his knees, clutching his stomach. A crimson stain blossomed under his hands. 

“How unfortunate.” Akechi’s own voice echoed mockingly back at him as Shido’s cognitive version of him stepped forth, a gun pointing squarely at Akechi’s back. 

“Akechi?” Ryuji looked from the shadow to the real Akechi. Akira hoisted the detective up, supporting him with his shoulder. 

“Another one!? Wait, is he...” Yusuke frowned. 

“That’s Shido’s cognitive version of Akechi!” Morgana said. 

“Hand him over.” The puppet Akechi said, waving his gun at the real Akechi. “I’ll deal with the rest of you once I’m done with him.”

“I should have known. He was going to get rid of me once the election was over, wasn’t he?” Akechi laughed, then winced. “I was wondering how he’d protect himself once all this was over. So he’s making a puppet kill me. Sounds like something he’d do.”

“Don’t.” Akira said, holding his arm a little bit tighter. “You’re hurt, you shouldn’t strain yourself.” Puppet Akechi blinked slowly, tilting his head to the side almost curiously.

“Why protect him? He’ll only slow you down in the end.” He said. “He’s a pathetic child who craves love more than anything. He’ll turn his back on you in an instant to fulfill his goals. He’s nothing but a puppet to whoever gives him the tiniest bit of praise.” Akira made a growling sound that none of the thieves had known he was even capable of making. Even Morgana was taken aback by his leader’s reaction.

“So this is how Shido thinks of Goro Akechi.” Makoto whispered. “It’s...It’s too horrible!”

Puppet Akechi sighed and shrugged. “Oh well, if that’s what you want. I suppose I can give you all a swift death.”

“Like Hell you will!” Ryuji pulled out his weapon, letting it dangle menacingly by his side. Puppet Akechi didn’t seem the least bit intimidated.  

“Would you like to die in his place, instead?” A demented grin spread across the puppet’s face. “You guys are all about doing things for other, aren’t you? Oh, that’s just the same as me. I’m going to take all the blame for our captain. I’ll die for him too.”

“So this is what he thinks of me.” Akechi felt all his will to live draining away from him. So he had simply been a pawn this entire time. How humiliating. 

“Get out of our way. Or else.” Akira raised his gun, leveling it at Puppet Akechi’s head. 

“You’re just as foolish as I thought you were.” Puppet Akechi laughed. “You’re-” The shot rang out and the puppet fell to the ground, a bullet hole in its head. 

“No one else gets hurt.” Akira said, putting away his gun. That was when Akechi slipped into unconsciousness. 

.

The door to Tae Takemi’s office burst open and the Phantom Thieves fell inside. 

“What the- What’s going on?” Tae stood up. 

“You have to help him! He’s going to bleed out!” Makoto grabbed Tae’s sleeve. Everyone looked pale and haggard, all out of breath. Akechi was in Akira’s arms. He too was was pale and haggard, but his breathing was shallow. The front of his jacket was soaked with blood, his limbs limp. 

“Bring him into the back.” Tae said, slipping into doctor mode. “I’m assuming you don’t want the police involved.” Akira shook his head and followed Tae into her waiting room. He laid Akechi down Tae’s couch as the doctor pulled on gloves and a surgical mask. His hands were bloody as well. He couldn’t stop staring at them. So much blood. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Tae started unbuttoning Akechi’s shirt.

“One of you, I need disinfectant, cotton balls, forceps, thread, and a needle.” She barked. The thieves scrambled around the office, gathering the materials Tae needed. 

“You.” She pointed to Akira once she had her supplies. “Stay here. The rest of you need to wait outside.” The group nodded and filed out, leaving Akira and Tae alone with Akechi. 

“Do I want to ask what happened to this guy?” Tae asked, beginning to disinfect the wound. Akechi made a small whining sound and flinched. 

“Probably not.”

“Alright.” Tae worked quickly and quietly to patch Akechi up. The bullet had passed cleanly through his torso, thankfully missing any vital organs. It didn’t take too long to get him cleaned up. Maybe an hour or two, including the time it took for Tae to look for the bullet. The whole time Akira just watched Akechi’s face. He looked so small, so vulnerable. Akira didn’t like Akechi, but he did feel sorry for the other boy. Their lives were ruined because of Shido. They were both unwanted, the victims of parents who didn’t care about them. If only the two of them could have met sooner. 

“Is it over?” The other thieves poked their heads into the room. 

“He’s patched up.” Tae said. “I won’t ask what went down, but I’d advise you keep this one out of your business until he’s healed.”

“Yes ma’am, we’ll do that.” Makoto nodded. 

“Man, he looks rough.” Ryuji said, walking over to stand by Akira’s side. “You’re sure he’s gonna be alright?”

“He should be.” Tae said. “This is the first time I’ve had to treat a gunshot wound though. It would have been worse if the bullet had still been in him.”

“When will he wake up?” Haru asked. She was shifting from foot to foot, a little nervous about the situation. As angry as she was at Akechi for killing her father, she didn’t want him to die. He was like her, doing whatever he could to seek the approval of a parent who wanted little to nothing to do with him. Akira started buttoning up Akechi’s shirt, preparing to move him.

“That’s hard to say.” Tae sat down at her desk. “Right now, he needs rest. Is there some place you can take him?”

“He can stay in your room.” Futaba said to Akira. “That’s okay, right?”

“It’s fine. I’ll sleep on the couch.” Akira said, moving to pick up Akechi. He shifted the other boy so he was carrying Akechi bridal style. It would have been hilarious, had everyone not been so concerned about Akechi. 

“Be careful.” Tae warned him. “And change his bandages every few hours. You don’t want the wound getting infected.”

“Yes ma’am.” Akira said. He started out towards Leblanc, careful not to trip on any of the stairs leading down from Tae’s office. It was raining outside, which only seemed to make the day even more depressing. Akira was tired. This whole day had been unbelievably draining, both physically and emotionally speaking. He just wanted to curl up and sleep. Sojiro was behind the bar when the group came in. He looked up at the sound of the bell, ready to greet them. 

“You’re ba-” Sojiro stopped what he was doing and just stared. “What on Earth happened?!” 

“He’s gonna stay in Akira’s room.” Futaba said matter-of-factly. “He’s one of us now! Whether he likes it or not.”

“But why is he bleeding?” Sojiro asked, gesturing wildly at Akechi. “What happened to him?”

“He got shot.” Akira said. 

“He got shot?! By who?”

“Himself.”

“Okay, I’m obviously not going to understand this in one sitting.” Sojiro walked around to collapse into one of the booths. “Just take him upstairs, then explain it to me.”

“I’ll explain.” Makoto said. “You guys take him upstairs.” Akira nodded, making his way upstairs and into the attic. He put Akechi down and threw a blanket over him. The detective would probably be fine now. WIth that done, Akira flopped down on the couch. A few minutes later, he was out cold. 

.

The next day, they all converged in the attic, careful to keep their voice down so as not to wake Akechi. They talked quietly, going over their options. They couldn’t take on Shido while Akechi was in this position. But at the same time, they had to depose the politician as soon as was humanly possible. Meaning they had to do something about Akechi first. At the very least, they needed someone to watch him. Mishima was an obvious first choice, and Akira was about to call him. Until Haru brought up a good point. 

“Do you think he has a palace?” Haru asked. Everyone turned to stare at her. Haru shrunk away at the sudden attention. 

“I-I just thought...with his level of, um, psychosis,” she stammered. “He must have distorted desires.”

“She’s right.” Makoto said. “He has to have a palace.”

“I’ll check the Nav.” Ryuji pulled out his phone. “Goro Akechi.” He said into the speaker. 

“Match found.”

“Nice job, Haru!” Ann said, hugging Haru. 

“Now we must determine the location and distortion.” Yusuke said, nodding solemnly. The members of the Phantom Thieves fell silent, each running through the possibilities.

“Do you think it could be something like Makoto’s sister’s palace?” Ann asked. “Like a casino or an arena?”

“No matches found.”

“What about a theater?” Ryuji suggested. “He’s been acting this whole time, right?”

“Match found.”

“Not bad.” Morgana nudged Ryuji. “Now we need to know what he views as a theater.”

“The world.” His friends turned to look at Akira. He sat with his head in his hands. 

“How do you know that?” Futaba said, frowning. 

“His whole life has been about acting, making people like him. His entire world is a theater.”

“Match found. Beginning navigation.” The familiar light surrounded them, and they were pulled into the Metaverse. When they got out, they were in their uniforms. 

“Of course we’re a threat already.” Makoto sighed. The group stood outside a lavish theater, decorated with more lights and artwork than any of them had ever seen. Posters for plays plastered the walls, many bearing Akechi’s face. People dressed in fine clothing milled around, whispering to one another. 

“Are you performers?” A shadow at the bottom of the stairs asked. 

“Oh, um, yes!” Makoto said. 

“We’re here for the new play!” Futaba added. The shadow studied them intently before settling on Akira. 

“Ah! Yes, we’ve been expecting you. This way please, sirs and ma’ams.” It gestured for them to follow. The Phantom Thieves were skeptical but followed anyway. They were taken into the theater, past all the other shadows who waited in the foyer, and backstage. Costumes lined the walls, which were cluttered with dressing tables. Actors bustled about, dressed to resemble people Akechi knew and worked with. 

“Joker, Panther, Oracle, Fox, Queen, Noir, Skull, and Mona your replacements are here!” The guiding shadow bellowed. “You can go!” 8 shadows filed out and the guide waved them to their dressing tables. 

“What do we do?” Haru whispered. 

“Just play along.” Ann whispered back. “We’re playing ourselves. We can do this, right?”

“We need to draw as little attention to ourselves as possible.” Makoto said. “There are a lot of shadows here, and I’m pretty sure they’ll attack us if they think something’s wrong.” 

“Goodness, you all have very convincing makeup.” The group collectively jumped, turning around to find Akechi in his thief outfit. He smiled kindly. 

“Th-Thanks.” Ann forced herself to smile. “We worked really hard on it.”

“Well, I’m glad someone else takes this as seriously as I do.” Shadow Akechi said. 

“Art means nothing if the people creating it aren’t passionate about what they do.” Yusuke said solemnly. 

Shadow Akechi’s smile widened even more, and he clapped. “Your acting is superb as well. You sound just like him. So many of the others just play them as caricatures. It’s so good to finally have some competent costars.”

“Well, we’re glad to be here.” Akira assured him. “We want this to be the best production it can be.” Shadow Akechi laughed softly.

“My, you are good.” He shook his head and folded his arms. “I’ll see you all later, alright? I have to make sure everything is in order.” He walked away as quickly as he could. 

“Let’s get back and develop a plan.” Makoto said, gently putting a hand on Akira’s shoulder. The head of the Phantom Thieves just watched Akechi walk away. He was going to fix this. He had to. 

“Joker? You alright?” Futaba asked, tugging at his sleeve.

“I’m fine.” He said, nodding slowly. The Phantom Thieves slipped out of the theater and navigated their way back to the attic. Akechi was still there, laying peacefully on Akira’s bed. 

“So, now we know what Akechi’s palace is, but how do we fix it?” Ann asked. “His treasure could be anything, or anyone.”

“We’ll probably have to explore more there.” Makoto said. 

“So...Should we go back?” Ryuji asked. “Like, now?” The others nodded. 

“Call Mishima.” Akira said. “Someone needs to watch Akechi.”

“Oh yeah. He can probably do that.” Ryuji started flipping through his contacts. “Do you have his number, dude?”

“I have everyone’s number.” Akira pulled out his phone and called Mishima. About an hour later, the other boy arrived.

“Are you sure you want me watching him?” Mishima asked, shifting away from Akechi. “I might do something I’ll regret.” 

“C’mon,  man.” Ryuji slapped his back. “You’re the only person we can trust with this.” Mishima’s eyes lit up a little at this and he sat down. 

“Alright.” He said, pulling out his phone. “You guys go take care of his palace. I’ll be here.” 

“We owe you.” Ann said. Then they were gone, back into Akechi’s palace. They were met by the same shadow as they entered. He seemed none too pleased by their abrupt departure before, scolding them for their unprofessionalism. 

“Really, this is a very important performance!” The shadow scolded them as they entered the dressing room once more. “The Critic will be here tonight.” From outside, there came the sound of the doors being slammed open. 

“The Critic is here!” The shadows erupted into whispers. 

“Everyone! To your places!”

“We must make this show one to remember!”

“Who’s the Critic?” Ryuji asked. 

“You’re new, so you’ll be forgiven for your ignorance.” The shadow said. “The Critic is only the most influential and prominent theater critic in the world! Her reviews can make or break a production!”

“There she is!” One of the shadows pointed to the theater entrance. A beautiful woman stood at the top of the stairs, decked out in expensive furs and jewelry heavy with precious gems. The group could see a slight resemblance between the woman and Akechi. They had the same brown hair, the same curve to their face. The woman made her way daintily down to a seat in the very front, settling herself demurely. 

“Do you think that’s his mother?” Haru whispered. 

“It’s certainly possible.” Makoto nodded and pursed her lips. 

“Are you ready?” Akechi’s shadow asked, appearing behind the group. “We’re running the battle with Sae Niijima tonight.”

“Are  _ you _ ready?” Akira asked. 

The shadow Akechi’s smile faded ever so slightly. “Of course I’m ready. I’m always ready.” He ushered them out onto the stage, where the actress playing Sae was waiting. 

“Sis.” Makoto whispered. It was like she was back in her sister’s palace, being forced to fight her again. Ann put a hand on Makoto’s shoulder, bringing her back to reality.

“It’s okay.” She said. “We’re going to be okay.”

“We’re here for you.” Haru took Makoto’s hand. “No matter what.” Akechi’s shadow glanced back at the 8 of them, tilting his head ever so slightly. 

“We can’t be whispering.” He hissed. “We have to act.” The Phantom Thieves nodded and they went through the scene. Makoto kept her cool as best she could, trying not to freak out or panic. Once the scene was done, they bowed and looked out towards the crowd. There was a moment of silence, as the audience looked to the Critic.

“Awful! Simply awful!” The Critic shrieked, flying to her feet. “You call that acting, you useless worm?! I’ve seen better from cockroaches! You can’t do anything right!” As she ranted and railed, the lavish theater and spectators began to change. The beautiful decorations became torn and ripped, the jewels vanished, dirt and dust caked every visible surface. Skeletons hung from the ceiling, with signs around their necks. The theater patrons became shadowy twisted creatures, barely resembling humans except for their faces, which had smiles carved into their sagging skin. They laughed and jeered, bringing their bony hands together in what looked to be an approximation of clapping. Shadow Akechi’s shoulders slumped and he walked to the edge of the stage. The shadows clawed at him, dragging him down and into their midst. The Critic grabbed him, gleefully tearing open his chest. The shadows gathered round, snatching at his organs and pulling at his limbs. He came apart like a ragdoll being played with by too rough children. He didn’t even scream. The shadows picked him clean, stripping back skin and muscle which they eagerly devoured, then hung him from the ceiling with all the other skeletons. The signs read ‘Failure’. 

“Good lord.” Yusuke said, stumbling back a few feet. 

“This is what he thinks of people?” Haru almost whimpered at the sight before her. 

“No wonder he doesn’t trust anyone.” Makoto said. The rest were stunned into silence. Even Ryuji had nothing to say. 

“Tragic, isn’t it?” The Phantom Thieves whirled around at the unexpected voice. Loki floated behind them, holding an unconscious Akechi. 

“Heya.” Loki winked at the group. “Didn’t expect to see any of you here.”

“How is he-”

“Alive again?” Loki asked. “He’s not. Not really. He dies and I resurrect him over and over for the whims of his adoring public. That’s how it works here.”

“So he dies every night?” Futaba asked. “He goes on stage just to die every night?”

“Not every night.” Loki said. “Just every night the Critic is here. The Critic or someone who doesn’t like him. People like you.”

“We didn’t kill him!” Ryuji yelled. 

“Oh, you haven’t seen the days the Phantom Thief fans come in.” It wasn’t possible for Loki to smile, what with his lack of mouth, but the Phantom Thieves knew he was smirking at them. “You think this is bad? It’s a thousand times worse when your crazy fans show up.” He laughed. “Sure, he says it doesn’t bother him, but every time someone says something bad about him it cuts like a little knife. And you all make it a thousand times worse. You know that, don’t you?”

“It can’t be.” Haru whispered. 

“He said it was part of his plan.” Makoto wanted to argue, wanted to say it wasn’t their fault. The other chimed in with various other responses of disbelief. They couldn’t argue though. They knew it was true. They’d contributed to the Hell that Goro Akechi regularly lived through. 

“So, what do you want to do now?” Loki asked. “Taunt him more? Take him away from me? He’s mine, you know. Now and forever. You can’t take him away from me.” He held out his hand, a dark red light forming around it. The light spread out to the shadows, covering them completely. It was the same trick Akechi had used in the ship to make the shadows go psychotic. 

“Father, you should not be so cruel to them.” Again, the thieves turned at the sight of a new voice. A woman floated down the aisle of the theater, the shadows parting in her wake. She was young, maybe only a little older than the Thieves.  She was decked out in crushed green velvet with accents of gold and rubies. She had on a veil, attached to her black braided hair with golden beads. 

“Hela, stay out of this.” Loki snapped. 

“I will not.” The woman opened her eyes, revealing them to be a piercing shade of green. “They are here to save him, Father.”

“Fuck their salvation!” Loki roared. “He doesn’t need them! He doesn’t need anyone!”

“He only needs  **you** , is that correct?” Hela asked coolly, folding her arms. “You cannot keep him forever.”

“Will someone please explain what’s going on?” Yusuke asked, raising his hand. “Because I, for one, am very confused. Who is this woman?”

“My daughter.” Loki said. “And dear Goro’s 3rd Persona.”

“Betrayal has a way of opening up doors that were previously closed.” Hela floated up to the stage. Akira watched the persona intently. He could feel the Death Arcana emanating from her. She seemed far less hostile than Loki was, but Akira didn’t entirely trust her. Shadow Akechi groaned and stirred. 

“Look who’s back in the land of the living.” Loki said, putting the shadow down. Shadow Akechi just nodded, looking bemusedly out at the crowd. 

“Why haven’t they left yet?” He asked. “The show’s over.”

“Not quite.” Loki gestured to the Phantom Thieves. Shadow Akechi frowned, looking them over intently. 

“You’re not actors, are you?” The shadow’s hands dropped to his sides, shaking as they curled into fists. “Why do you insist on doing this? You know what I did! You know what I am!” Loki grinned as a fire engulfed his user. Hela screamed, but there was nothing she could do. Chains wrapped around her, rooting her to the stage. The shadows in the audience howled, scrambling to try and get at the thieves. 

“Stop this!” Makoto begged. “We want to help you! Please!”

“You’re one of us, Akechi!” Ann yelled. “Please stop fighting us!”

“C’mon man!” Ryuji said. “We’re not here to hurt you!” But Akechi didn’t listen. The red light shot off into the crowd, stirring the shadows into a frenzy. This was bad. This was really bad. They couldn’t get out of this, not with Loki stirring all the shadows up. They were outnumbered and outgunned. There was no way they were going to be able to get out of this. 

“You’re not going to kill us.” Akira said. 

“You think I won’t?!” Akechi snarled, raising the same gun he’d used as a Phantom Thief. “You know the people I’ve killed!”

“You’re not going to kill us.” Akira said again, this time a bit more forcefully. Akechi’s hand shook as he kept the gun pointed straight at Akira. 

“I can do it!” He said. “I can!” He sounded like a child. The other thieves looked to their leader. Akira strode forward, putting a hand on Akechi’s gun. 

“It’s not your fault.” Akira said, looking almost tired. Akechi stared at him, then dropped the gun. Akira put his hands on Akechi’s shoulders, then pulled him into a hug. The other thieves shuffled over and joined the hug as well. Akechi stood there, stunned, then began to cry. 

Loki made a disgusted noise. “You can’t be serious!”

“Let him be.” Akira looked up a little to see Robin Hood standing beside the other two personas. It was equally hard to read his expression, but he seemed happy. The chains binding Hela vanished and she floated up to stand beside her father. Loki rolled his eyes and flicked a finger. The shadows in the theater turned on the Critic and attacked her. She disappeared beneath a sea of black creatures, like a swarm of ants devouring a corpse. 

“Y’all better be ready to run.” Loki said. “Once she dies, this whole thing goes down.” The thieves nodded and ran like Hell, leaving Loki, Robin Hood, and Hela alone with Akechi. 

“So it’s just over now.” Loki floated on the stage, arms folded. 

“Be glad, Father. He’ll be getting help.” Hela assured him, wrapping her arms around her father. “It’s all going to be alright.” 

“But we won’t be able to  **do** anything anymore! It’ll get boring!” He protested. 

“We’ll still be with him.” Robin Hood pointed out. Around them, the palace began to collapse. Loki sighed and patted his daughter’s head. 

“Yeah....Whatever.”

.

Akechi woke up with a pounding headache and an aching stomach. He groaned and opened his eyes. He was greeted with the sight of the ceiling of Akira’s little attic room. Which meant he was currently taking up Akira’s bed. He assumed the Phantom Thieves had brought him here from the Palace. Why on Earth had they still decided to save him? They should have left him to die in the hull of that ship. 

“Oh! You’re awake.” An unfamiliar voice came from his left. Akechi rolled over to find a boy he’d never seen before. He was wearing a Shujin uniform and previously had been typing away furiously on his smartphone. 

“Who are you?” Akechi asked. From the phone and the uniform, he could only assume the boy was the one who ran the Phantom Aficionado website. 

“I’m Yuuki Mishima.” The boy said. “I run the Phantom Aficionado site. I’m kind of the PR guy for the Phantom Thieves.” He didn’t hold his hand out for Akechi to shake it. In fact, he seemed to be keeping himself as far away from Akechi as he could, while still staying close enough to jump in if Akechi’s wound opened up. 

“I assume they told you everything?” Akechi smiled tightly. “That has to be why you’re sitting so far away.”

“Yep.” Mishima’s smile looked equally tight and forced. 

“At least someone has a normal reaction to this.” Akechi muttered. “You aren’t going to say you want to help me too, are you?”

“I don’t like you, but that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve help.” Mishima said. “No matter what I do, I can’t hate you. Cause you’re just like me.”

“How so?” 

Mishima hesitated momentarily, instinctively pulling his sleeves further down over his arms. “I’ve always been a loser. No one ever wanted me. I just wanted people to like me, to need me. And then Akira-kun joined school, and he started changing things! He and the Phantom Thieves gave me a place to belong! Somewhere where I was needed!” Mishima’s eyes lit up. “They like being around me. Cause we’re all a little broken.” Akechi sighed and rolled his eyes. 

“You’re all far too kind for your own good.” He said. “How do you know I won’t just betray you all again?”

“Because Akira trusts you.” 

“That’s...That’s it?” Akechi frowned. “That’s all it takes?” 

“I trust him.” Mishima said. “And besides, they changed your heart already.”

“They- Excuse me!?” Akechi tried to sit up abruptly, but was forced back down by Mishima. 

“Don’t exert yourself.” Mishima said. “You’ll open up your stitches.”

“They changed my heart?!” Akechi sputtered. 

“Mm-hm. They called me to watch you while they were doing it. For some reason, it didn’t take too long. Akira said something about your personas helping.” 

Akechi groaned and rolled over. Great. So now he was going to turn into some sniveling mess, begging for forgiveness from anyone who would take him. 

“Oh. He’s awake.” And there was the man of the hour. Akechi could hear Akira coming up the stairs. 

“Yeah, he just woke up a few minutes ago.” Mishima said. “Oooh! You brought sushi!” Akira handed the takeout bag over to the excited Mishima, settling himself down on the edge of his bed. 

“How are you feeling?” Akira asked. 

“Fine.” 

“Mishima told you we changed your heart, didn’t he?”

“Yes.”

Akira sighed. “We wanted to help you. Your palace was like Futaba’s. She’s a lot happier now and we’re hoping you will be too.”

Akechi curled up into a ball, trying not to smile when he felt Morgana’s tail flicking against his bare feet. 

“You shouldn’t have helped me.” He said. 

“You’re one of us.” Akira repeated. “You fucked up, but we’re going to help you fix it.” Akechi chewed on the inside of his cheek, then rolled over again. 

“Thank  you.” He whispered. 

“Don’t worry about it.” Akira said, smiling.

.

After everything finally died down, Akechi went to jail. His sentence had been reduced to an accessory to murder, and he’d been given ten years. The judge looked more kindly upon the boy after learning of how he was controlled by Shido. Akechi’s guilty plea and full confession helped garner him sympathy as well. 

“I suppose we won’t be seeing each other for a while.” Akechi said. He was alone with the group formerly known as the Phantom Thieves. They’d come to visit him in the holding cell he was currently kept in. 

“You’ll serve your time and repent.” Makoto said. 

“Sojiro says he might have a job waiting for you when you get out.” Futaba said. 

“You really don’t need to do this.” This had to be the millionth time the former detective had said that. 

“Akechi-kun.” Haru folded her hands in front of her. “We’re not giving up on you. You should know this by now.”

“Yes...I suppose I should.” Akechi’s shoulders slumped. “It would be better if you did.”

“Dude, what did we say about the self-deprecating shit?” Ryuji said. 

“Not to do it. I’m sorry.” 

“We have to go now.” Sae entered the room, casebook under her arm. “I trust you’ve all said your goodbyes?”

“Yes, ma’am.” The group said together. Sae nodded, taking Akechi by the arm and leading him out of the room.

“You think he’ll be okay in prison?” Ann asked, glancing at her friends. 

“We must let the system do its work here.” Yusuke said. 

“There’s nothing we can do anymore.” Makoto put a hand on Ann’s shoulder. Ann nodded. They weren’t Phantom Thieves anymore. They were just kids. They had to let this play out the way it was supposed to. 

“If it makes you feel better, Sojirou said he’d give him a job once he gets out.” Futaba piped up. “Since he can’t go back to being a detective and all.”

“That does make me feel better.” Akira admitted. Things were going to be alright. It  _ would _ be tough, given that he was going to a correctional facility as well, but they’d get through it. They’d been through Hell together and there was nothing that would break them apart now. 

**Author's Note:**

> I don't remember why I started writing this. I guess I wanted to Akechi to be able to be saved. He messed up bad, but he deserves the chance to right his mistakes. And, yes, I'm aware he technically can't have a palace. That has been pointed out to me.


End file.
